Winter trip before committing - any tips? (Coeur d'Alene, Sandpoint: transplants, to rent)

[juliejohn69]

My husband, terrier, and I want to relocate (semi-retire) to Coeur d'Alene. We've done our due diligence, researched as much as we can, and I took a beautiful one-week trip in September. We only have one last concern: can we handle the snow, cold, and darkness?

We have decided I will move ahead and rent before the others join me. There seems to be some logic to doing my move-ahead trip in the winter. Our thought process: I will experience your winter for a time, and then when I decide I can handle it, I will begin house hunting. I'll find a house in an easy and pleasurable manner, call my boys, and they will join me in our new Idaho home.

Does this sound crazy? Not to me, but I want to get a reading from your experience, dear forum folks.

Yes, I realize there will be slimmer pickings on the housing market in wintertime, I'm cool with that (pun intended). I think it's more important to test my cold hardiness.

How long do you think it will take to experience winter before I can reasonably decide?

Any tips? Did you do this? Thanks for reading.

[banjomike]

Much will depend on the winter! It will also depend on which month of winter you come, too.

January is typically the coldest and darkest month, no matter what the overall weather of the winter may be, and I think 30 days- from about mid January to mid-February, would give you a pretty good notion of what it's like.

But I'm sure you're aware that the winters here have varied quite a lot over this entire century so far, and have gone through some extreme changes from one year to the next. But once you have been here for a week or two and come to know a few locals, you will learn how typical the particular winter is once you're here.

The chances of it being completely dry in January are pretty slim, I think. If the winter is mild and open, there's still snow in most Januaries. You will have a chance to experience some winter driving.

If you've never driven in snow country before, investing in as good a set of winter tires as you can afford would be a good thing. 4-season tires can get a person through here, but not nearly as well as tires that are specially made for the season. Learning how to drive on black ice is not nearly as fearsome as it sounds, but it requires some experience.

The winter tires vary now; some have metal studs, while some are studless. I used only studded tires until I put my first set of Bridgestone Blizzaks on a former car, and I now swear by them. I have a new car now that has a set on it out in my garage.

The Blizzaks have the same or better traction as studs, stop shorter than studded tires, and have better turning traction that studs, in my estimation. But opinions vary, and they are expensive. They also must be taken off as soon as the pavement begins to warm up or they will literally melt away. The rubber compound is both soft and full of micro-bubbles; both help give the tire it's incredible traction. But I found that with proper changing seasonally, they will wear forever.

The other thing you should think about before you come is some good winter clothing. Most long-time residents don't buy a single heavy coat; it's more flexible to layer, as during the winters, the change between the outdoors and indoors can be really extreme.
Good warm boots and a warm hat are a must. One soon learns it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it when it comes to winter here.

I think you are being very smart in your planning. Winter here can last a long time, so it is very good to get some reversible experience before making the big leap of moving.

If you find it too much for you, then whatever it cost will still be less than a committed move. But you could also find you actually like the winters here. Many folks come to love them.

And over time, as a person grows accustomed to winter, some of the extremes fade. Once here, you'll see natives who are wearing much less than you are and quite comfortable. It's usually the first couple of winters that always seem the most extreme to newcomers.

[cleosmom]

As always, banjomike gave you excellent advice!

My husband and I are transplants, one of the reasons that drew us to SE Idaho was the fact of four distinct seasons. You don't get the beauty of our region without some "harsh" weather. We were tired of the smog and 100+ temps we had to deal with in our previous location.

One thing I can add, if your terrier is a toy breed, get ready to shovel him a path to be able to potty in. The smaller breeds tend to not care for snow they can't navigate in

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Winter is a lot easier to deal with if you have your family around you. There is more "warmth" and cheer in the house. There is someone to call when you have car trouble. In my family, both adults work at snow removal. Not that single people dont survive, but life is just easier surrounded by family.

If that "terrier" is a pitbull, you will have a very difficult time finding a place to rent.

[plannersteve]

We did the "test living" trip a couple years ago before moving to Sandpoint. Stayed there for the month of January. This turned out to be a good month for testing our winter readiness. We got some cold weather, some snow, and a brief warm spell with rain. The worst was the sloppy mess of snow and rain.
If you envision recreating in the winter, I would en devour to do that on your trip. I skied almost every day on our trip. Helped me to understand the logistics of getting to the mountain, etc. Also was a test to see if I would really enjoy skiing that much.
You can also experience what daily living is like when you do the longer trip. Driving to the grocery in the snow, that sort of thing.
For us a month was long enough as we had both lived in the areas with real winter before and just testing to see if living in PDX area had made us soft. You are definitely wise to do this trip if you have no experience with winter.

[juliejohn69]

I appreciate the responses and great advice, thank you one and all. Special thanks to Banjomike, your generous reply was so helpful, thank you!

Dog: My terrier, Dusty, is a Schnauzer-Chihuahua, imagine a blond Benji, for those mature enough to remember. He is not a toy breed but he does ... ahem ... ride low. Something a girl wouldn't necessarily consider, so thank you for pointing it out, Cleosmom.

Family vs Alone: I know I will be lonely by myself, and winter will amp that, but knowing I am advancing our cause should help me tough it out.

Recreation: I do plan on recreatin' after we move, so I will make a point of doing it during my trial period. I'm looking forward to hike and even try snowshoes. I will make sure to be safe. I plan on getting some advice from the local outfitters, Cabela's and the like. I don't ski, but I would love to visit Schweitzer anyway and ride the lift both ways and drink hot cocoa. Oh man, now I'm getting excited!

Plannersteve: I don't know where PDX is, Philadelphia? Someplace where the livin' is easy, eh?

Driving: I remember watching a video about Blizzaks when I first considered NID a couple years ago, and they were amazing.

Clothing: Layers were on my mind, but I never realized that means not having one big ginormous winter coat. Now it makes perfect sense. I layered on a summer trip to Alaska, and found it to be very helpful, especially in different activities where you might work up a sweat and then get a chill. Hey, it strikes me that is just like hot flashes, so I do have *some* experience. heh heh

When to visit: I really like the idea of mid-Jan to mid-Feb, sounds excellent. Not too close to the holidays, either, so life will be back to normal.

[cleosmom]

Originally Posted by juliejohn69

Dog: My terrier, Dusty, is a Schnauzer-Chihuahua, imagine a blond Benji, for those mature enough to remember. He is not a toy breed but he does ... ahem ... ride low. Something a girl wouldn't necessarily consider, so thank you for pointing it out, Cleosmom.



Plannersteve: I don't know where PDX is, Philadelphia? Someplace where the livin' is easy, eh?

You're more than welcome I tend to think about the critters as I've spent most of my life with them, working or otherwise. Now, you jogged my memory, I must see if i can find Benji to watch

PDX is Portland, OR

[banjomike]

My niece owned a miniature Schnauzer. He was always willing and ready for any weather, but during the winters when the snow was deep, she would put a dog jacket and dog boots on him. Big dogs appreciate snow boots too- the snow gets stuck between their toes and turns to ice when it melts. Keeping a little dog dry will really help. The blanket doesn't need to be very heavy- just waterproof.

Once a dog bucks a path in the yard, they're usually fine afterwards with no protection, but I can't say that about chihuahuas. I'm sure they will always need some protection in the winters here.

Dogs are like people; some relish the snow, and others hate it. And some just take it as it comes without complaint.

[labellavita116]

JulieJohn69, I've considered doing the same, but for a different reason. Employment. Maybe my kids and move to ID for a season with my husband visiting and spending as much time with us as possible, and then decide if this move is for us before he quits his job. He works from home and he really doesn't want to quit his job and then have to drive every day to work (I have told him that traffic in CDA is nothing like what we experience now). Even though his employer is a major company, they currently do not allow their employees to work in different states. Wish that they did, we could have moved a long time ago. I've looked for WAH jobs and I've just not found a fit yet, comparable salary, etc.

[volosong]

Originally Posted by juliejohn69

I plan on getting some advice from the local outfitters, Cabela's and the like. I don't ski, but I would love to visit Schweitzer anyway and ride the lift both ways and drink hot cocoa. Oh man, now I'm getting excited!

Cabela's would be one of the last places I'd go for outdoor recommendations. It's a good enough store to purchase stuff, especially if you know what you want. I'd go to Black Sheep first. They are across the parking lot from Costco. You might get better information from the Black Sheep Outlet, about a block away. I get a subtle impression that those who work the Outlet store spend more time outdoors, (although I think everybody works in the main store when the outlet isn't open). After them, I'd stop at Tri State off of 95 for a second opinion. Another group of "kids" that impress me as knowing where to go.

I did not get an opportunity to do so this past winter, but I understand that Schweitzer has cross-country skiing, and some snowshoe trails also. They advertise cross-country ski lessons, and most likely rent equipment. The top of the hill is relatively flat, so it makes for some nice trails. There are a "ton" of cross-country venues around. Tri State has hand-out books in their lobby about the trails. I think it is put out by a ski organization in the area. (Probably not many left. It's a seasonal thing. You can Google North Idaho cross-country skiing too, and get some hits.)